Grown-Ups
Book Review: King & King by Linda de Haan & Stern Nijland
If you’re on the lookout for a nontraditional fairytale, King & King definitely fits the description. In a far-off kingdom populated by castles, crowns, telephones, and airplanes, the queen decides she’s had enough of ruling and wants to retire. This means her son, the crown prince, has to marry and become king.
The queen’s plan is to notify every eligible princess around, so they can come to the palace and meet the prince. The prince is far from enthused: “I’ve never cared much for princesses,” he says. Nevertheless, the princesses arrive and display a plethora of talents: singing, juggling, humor, but none of them seem to impress the prince.
The big surprise comes with the last princess. The prince falls in love at first sight, not with her, but with her brother, Prince Lee. In traditional fairytale fashion, the story ends with a royal wedding and a “happily ever after.”
Though not specifically focused on LGBT families, King & King is a great way to open a discussion about loving and supporting family members no matter what. After all, the queen doesn’t care who the prince marries, as long as he is happy (and as long as she gets to sunbathe in the royal gardens in peace).
King & King is for ages 4 through 8, and is published by Tricycle Press. It is available for purchase at Amazon.com.
Author
Assistant Kids section editor Hannah Crawford graduated from Carleton College with a major in English and a concentration in Latin American Studies. Apart from reading, her great love is theater, which is one of the many reasons she is very excited to have recently moved to Minneapolis.
